With the expanding use of computer networks, such as the Internet, an increasing amount of commerce is conducted electronically. Online merchants, manufacturers, and others have made virtually every type of product and service available to consumers via computer networks. As more and more users turn to computer networks, such as the World Wide Web (hereinafter the “Web”), for information, content providers are increasingly converting traditional content (e.g., printed materials, such as books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, manuals, guides, references, articles, reports, documents, and the like) to electronic form.
An example of such electronic-form content is an “e-book,” an electronic (or digital) representation of a book. An e-book is commonly generated by a publisher for distribution via the Internet. Examples of the advantages resulting from providing content in an electronic form include reduced space, indefinite offering duration and quantity, adjustable type size and type face, instant distribution, etc.
However, one disadvantage resulting from electronic distribution of information is that it can potentially be stolen, disseminated, or accessed without approval from the author or publisher. The advent of personal computers, combined with the Internet and popular file sharing tools, have made unauthorized sharing of digital files (often referred to as digital piracy) increasingly common.
Specifically, in the instance where a business offers an online fee-based access to an electronic content stored on its server, the concern is that authors, publishers and other parties involved in the distribution of said content may lose control of such distribution. For example, a customer who purchases online access to a particular item of content stored on a server of a content provider could potentially distribute his or her access information (user identification, password, etc.) to any number of people, thus providing them with unauthorized access to that content.